"Tic-Tac- D'OH!"

I sat down to spend a little quality time with the games of yore on the venerable Atari 2600. First out of the box was 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe. This was one of the ''launch titles'' for the Atari 2600. However, when held up to such classics of that time, games such as ''Combat'', ''Adventure'', ''Night Driver'' and the seminal ''Space Invaders'', ''3D Tic-Tac-Toe'' doesn't hold up very well.

The overall concept of the game is your standard ''conversion of a classic game to video'' fare, attempt to beat the computer in a game of what they call tic-tac-toe, but 4 in a row are required to win. The folks at Atari provide a novel twist. The playing field is 3 stacked 4x4 grids, and you can score a four-in-a-row using all three grids. The concept is rather difficult to express in words...those of you familiar with ''Well-tris'' would have a good handle on the ''depth'' aspect of the game.

However, where this game fails is in the execution. I don't expect a lot from an Atari 2600 cartridge, especially an early release like ''3-D Tic-Tac-Toe'', however, this is a poor effort even by those lax standards. The graphics are very plain, with the three 4x4 grids, your X's and O's, and nothing else. I can say, however, that the graphics are very clear, you can tell what's what. There's a small ''beep'' when you make a move, but no fanfare or anything to signify a win. (If you think I'm being harsh on an old game, bear in mind that ''Adventure'' at least had a flashing screen and a ''rising fanfare'' sound that played when you won). And finally, the computer AI is a joke, and even a young child would be able to defeat the computer handily.

On the positive side, there's nothing difficult about the control scheme, and anyone, including lab animals, should be able to pick up a joystick and start playing.

I imagine this game got made to pad out the cartridge library prior to the system's release. All in all, this game represents more a circa-1979 computer programming student's class project and less a professionally produced, commercially released video game.

I don't imagine anyone is reading this review to decide whether to purchase this title. You may, however, be considering an emulation option. If that is the case, my advice to you is to get a book on programming and make your own game. You'll learn something, and you'll create a better, more enjoyable product. Plus, you'll have something to show your mom.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 10/05/02, Updated 10/05/02